Paris Saint-Germain is about to hit the halfway mark of their 2023-24 season. Furthermore, it marks the first few months in the post-Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. era after the two superstars left this past summer transfer window.
Lille OSC manager Paulo Fonseca noted that PSG appears more like a team this season than last campaign. However, former Parisian Jérôme Leroy spoke with L’Equipe and stated a different opinion.
Leroy believes that the players who were supposed to step up and take the place of Messi and Neymar are not fulfilling expectations.
“If the question is to know if these players will lead PSG to win the Champions League if Mbappé leaves? I tell you no,” Leroy told the French media outlet (h/t Le10Sport). “The problem is that in a club like Paris, you can’t be good by accident one game out of ten.
“The pressure and expectations are enormous. You can be good at other clubs and not be good at PSG or OM. The replacements for Neymar and Messi are second- or third-tier players compared to them.”
Even though PSG qualified for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 by the smallest margins, the French giants are back in the same situation they were in the last two seasons with Neymar, Messi, and even Sergio Ramos.
If the Ligue 1 side advances past the round of 16, it will be the first time they have done so since 2021. Furthermore, PSG is in a much better position financially, considering the wages of the two are off the books.
